Passive restraint system for vehicle occupants

ABSTRACT

Safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an accident comprising a confinement, or so-called &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;air bag&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;, inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which it is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle during an accident, and means for effecting expansion of the confinement to the expanded condition by introducing a gas under pressure, typically compressed air or gas generated pyrotechnically, from an outside source into the confinement. The wall of the confinement is made of uninterruptedly woven fabric in tubular form which constitutes a member which completely encircles the inflating gas. The encircling wall of the confinement can be made from a circular woven tubular fabric member woven on a circular loom or from a double woven fabric made on a loom in the well-known manner by carrying out the weaving process in such a way that adjacent portions of fabric are interwoven together.

nited States Patent [1 1 Buchner et a1.

1 Feb. 19, 1974 1 PASSIVE RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE OCCUPANTS [73]Assignee: Uniroyal A.G., Aachen, Germany 22 Filed: Jam l7, 1972 [21]Appl, No.: 218,184

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 5, 1971 Germany 2105428 [52]U.S. Cl. 280/150 AB, 5/348, 139/389,

- 182/137 [51] Int. Cl. B60r 21/08 [58] FieldofSearch ..280/150AB;244/138 R; 5/348, 349;139/387,389,390;l28/DIG.20

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,638,755 2/1972 Sack280/150 AB 3,675,942 7/1972 Huber 280/150 AB 2,974,912 3/1961 Namsick244/138 R 3,008,214 11/1961 Foster et al..... 5/348 R 3,125,377 3/1964Bridges 5/348 R 3,610,657 10/1971 Cole 280/150 AB 3,582,107 6/1971 Goetzet a1. 280/150 AB 2,361,242 10/1944 Rosett 128/D1G. 20 3,360,014 12/1967Poisson ct a1 139/389 3,618,977 11/1971 Klove, Sr.' 280/150 AB 3,632,133l/1972 Hass' .1 280/150 AB Primary Examiner-David Schonberg AssistantExaminer-John P. Silverstrim Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert J.Patterson, Esq.

[57] ABSTRACT Safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicleduring an accident comprising a confinement, or so-called air bag,inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in whichit is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to thevehicle during an accident, and means for effecting expansion of theconfinement to the expanded condition by introducing a gas underpressure, typically compressed air or gas generated pyrotechnically,from an outside source into the confinement. The wall of the confinementis made of uninterruptedly woven fabric in tubular form whichconstitutes a member which completely encircles the inflating gas. Theencircling wall of the confinement can be made from a circular woventubular fabric member woven on a circular loom or from a double wovenfabric made on a loom in the well-known manner by carrying out theweaving process in such a way that adjacent portions of fabric areinterwoven together.

8 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures 7 PAIENTEB FEB I SIQM SBEEI n or 4 PASSIVERESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE OCCUPANTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Theinvention pertains to a safety device for vehicles, particularly motorvehicles, for reducing or preventing the impact of the passengersagainst hard surfaces of the vehicle, comprising at least one fabriccontainer (often called an air bag or simple a confinement") which inthe resting state is folded up into the smallest possible area, but upondanger of impact can be automatically blown up from a source of gasunder pressure. I

Safety devices of this type have already become familiar in variousembodiments. Thus, for example, according to the prior art, 'for exampleGerman Patent No. 896,312, a collapsible, elastic and highlyairimpermeable container is connected to a compressed air container orto a source of gas generated pyrotechnically, by way of a valved line.The inflation of the container can be effected manually, but is morecommonly effected automatically at the time of vehicle impact. Thecontainer generally extends transversely to the direction of travel.

German Auslegeschrift No. 1,280,072 teaches a safety device of this typein which the container is made of at least two expandable partsconnected by one or more sewn seams, and in which, in order tostrengthen the seams connecting the parts, an equalizing chambersurrounding the seams'is provided. As a result, the parts of thecontainer connected at the edges by sewing are supposed to be protectedfrom breaking under the influence of the rapid inflation process. Thisequalizing chamber is supposed to surround the main seam and relieve thestrain on it. Although the main seam may break at the time of impact,the gas pressure may not escape altogether, since the equalizing chambertakes up the gas pressure. In order to seal the seams, they aretypically coated with rubber or other adhesives in the usual way.

Containers of the type in question must be collapsible to the smallestpossible size in the resting state and the container material as well asthe seammust not age to a deleterious extent despite years of storage inthe resting state, so that in case of need, the containers will actuallyrepresent a functional safety device. On the other hand, if such asafety deviceis to gain general application, it must be extremely easyand cheap to manufacture so that it can be made by mass production.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In its broadest aspects,'the present inventionis an air bag or confinement, and a passive restraint system comprisingthe same, the confinement being made of uninterruptedly woven fabric intubular form. The woven fabric in tubular form can be made by wellknowncircular weaving techniques using a circular loom. Alternatively, it canbe'made as a double fabric by weaving on a flat loom in the well-knownmanner by which adjacent portions of the fabric are interwoven duringthe weaving process. The use of either type of uninterruptedly wovenfabric in tubular form for confining the inflating gas eliminates thedisadvantages attendant upon making seams by sewing or by the use ofcommon bonding techniques using rubber or other adhesives. The presentinvention eliminates the weakness of sewn or bonded seams. As a result,the efficacy and reliability of confinements of the present inventionand restraint systems utilizing same are significantly improved becausethe strength of the tubular portion or portions of the confinement whichare made from uninterruptedly woven fabric is at all points at leastequal to the strength of the fabric itself. I

The principal objective-of the present invention is to further develop aconfinement in such a manner that it can be manufactured easily and verycheaply and nevertheless guarantees a strength throughout the areaformed of the uninterruptedly woven fabric at least equal to that of thefabric itself. This result is achieved equally with circular woventubular fabric made on the ordinary circular loom and double fabric madeby the well-known double weaving technique on a flat loom wherebyadjacent portions, e.g. edges, of woven fabric are woven together. Inthe latter case, the strength in the doubly woven areas is at leastequal to the strength of the fabric itself and the mutual interweavingof the portions of fabric in the connection regions is accomplished withrapidly operating, inexpensive methods and equipment well-known in theweaving art. Thus, no

special additional measures are required for closing seams.

It is particularly advantageous if the sections of fabric are interwovenon the loom in narrow regions between their edges to form separatechambers, so that in addition to the interwoven seams at the edges ofthe fabric sheets, the two fabric sheets are also tightly bound togetherby interweaving in intermediate areas, so that the various independentchambers are created between the two sheets of fabric. This isparticularly advantageous, since, depending on the place in the vehiclein which the containers are used, the requirements placed on thestrength of the blown-up container on the one hand and the requirementswith reference to the release of the inflation pressure for taking upthe further impact pressure of the body of the vehicle occupants bymeans of appropriately constructed valves of known type are extremelycomplicated and difficult to meet. By subdividing the container intovarious chambers and varying the dimensions and arrangements of thechambers by appropriate location of the interwoven connecting areas, thepresent invention enables these requirements to be fulfilled ina-practically optimal manner.

For the case in which the container is required solely in tubular formwithout intermediate chambers, as an alternative to the foregoing, thecontainer can advantageously consist of one or more circular woventubular portions, of whose open ends at least one is connected to adiffusor connected to the source of gas under pressure.

Moreover, for rriany applications, it is preferable to use a containerwith several chambers made of a double fabric which is interwoven on theloom at its edges and, if desired, at intermediate regions as well,since use of such a container-facilitates adaptation of the safetydevice to practical requirements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, whichportray in schematic form several embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of safety device constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the safety device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section through the safety device of FIG. 1,taken on the line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 illustrates, in a highly simplified manner and on an enlargedscale details of the connecting seam between two sections of fabricwhich are uninterruptedly woven together for use in making one type ofsafety device according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a modified embodiment of the invention in whichall seams consist exclusively of uninterruptedly woven seams;

FIG. 6 is a cross section through the safety device of FIG. 5 along line6-6 thereof;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a simplified embodiment of safety device inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of another simplified embodiment of safety deviceof the invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic in situ view showing a safety system of theinvention installed in an automobile.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1through 3, the safety device 1 of the embodiment illustrated consists ofa distributor or a diffuser tube 2, which is connected in a suitablemanner to a suitable source (not shown) ofinflating gas under pressure,and a container or confinement formed by parts 3, 4 and 5. The diffusortube 2 simultaneously serves as a means of holding the container whichis shown in the drawings in the inflated state in order to make itsdetails more readily recognizable.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, a plurality of outside loopcompartments formed in side by'side relationship from a double fabricwoven flat on the loom and having adjacent portions interwoven at itsedges and at intermediate portions surround an inner compartment; all ofthe compartments are connected to an inflating gas diffusor; thisarrangement makes it easily possible to effect sequential inflation ofthe loop compartments and the inner compartment enclosed thereby.

The container of FIGS. 1 through 3 comprises a looplike outer section ofdouble fabric which comprises single fabrics 5a and 5b which areinterwoven on the loom at the edges 5c and at intermediate portions 6and which enclose several chambers 11 between them, these chambersrunning in the direction of the loop. The individual loop-like chambers11 are separated from one another by means of connecting seams 6which-are formed by weaving together superimposed, narrowly limitedregions of the two sections of woven fabric material on the loom.

In FIGS. 1 through 3, an additional larger chamber 12 is formed withinthe exterior loop portion comprising chambers 11. For this purpose, theends of the outer loop are closed by caps 4, which preferably are madefrom the same kind of fabric as that used in walls 5a and 5b. The caps 4are firmly and permanently connected to the interwoven edges 50 of theloop-shaped container portion 3 by vulcanization along seams 7 and 8. Toaccomplish this, the adjacent marginal portions of loop container 3 andcaps 4 are coated or impregnated with a vulcanizable material such as asulfur-vulcanizable natural or synthetic rubber compounded withconventional curatives and other compounding ingredients or othercurable elastomeric or plastic material such as polyurethane or thelike.

As shown in FIG. 2, the loop chambers 11 and the central chamber 12formed within the loop are connected independently from one another tothe diffusor tube 2 through openings 13 and 14. In addition, at leastthe central chamber 12 is provided with a valve 10 of known type whichcloses off the central chamber 12 under the inflation pressure, but inthe presence of the increased pressure due to the impact of the personon the container pillow, i-.e. the confinement, opens and permits thepressure to be controllably discharged, thus elastically absorbing theimpact shock of the person and preventing injury to facial and otherrelatively easily damaged parts of the body of the vehicle occupants. Inorder to maintain sufficient pressure in the container, even if severalsuccessive impact shocks occur, the pressure in the chambers 11 may bemaintained. For this purpose, flap valves 15 are provided over the inletopenings 13 leading into chambers 11. However, as shown in FIG. 1, theindividual chambers 11 may also contain separate discharge valves 9known type, which may be set so as to open in response to a differentpressure from that to which valve 10 responds. In addition, only certainindividual ones of chambers 11 may be provided with valves 9, in orderfor the pressure to be maintained in the other chambers as long asnecessary.

In FIGS. 1 through 3, the chambers 11 all have the same cross sectionalconfiguration. It will be obvious that if desired more or fewer of suchchambers can be formed one adjacent the'other between the two sectionsof interwoven fabric from which they are made. By varying the distancesbetween the fabric connections 6, and even the widths of suchconnections, the cross sectional sizes of the individual chambers canalso be made to differ from one another. Thus a good possibility foradaptation to various possible applications and installations isprovided. Furthermore the single fabric sections 5a and 5b of the doublefabric may be woven together only along their longitudinal edges so thatonly a single external loop-shaped chamber 11 is formed. Instead, ifdesired the container section 3 may more advantageously consist of aseamless, i.e., circular-woven piece of fabric in tubular form.

The purpose, in the embodiment portrayed in FIGS. 1 to 3, in providingan inner chamber l2 encircled by an independent outer loop-chamber is tocreate additional efficiency of functions. Bearing in mind that vehiclecollisions ordinarily do not lead to an absolute stop of the vehicleupon the first impact but are followed by subsequent shocks before thevehicle comes to a standstill, it will be seen that such subsequentshocks may potentially: cause injuries of passengers.

The arrangement in question makes it possible to have a first chamberinflate at the very moment of the first shock and simultaneously deflatein order to respond elastically upon the impact of the preson, thisaction occurring even before the vehicle reaches a complete standstill,security for subsequent impacts being provided by causing othernon-deflated chambers to become effective and handle further impacts ofthe person. I

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the connection of the two sheets ofwoven fabric 5a and 5b in connected areas. In this figure, the twosheets of fabric of the container portion designated generally byreference numeral contain warp threads 21 and 22. In the connectedareas, some of the warp threads, designated 23, are jointly passedaround by the woof threads 24 and 25 of the two fabric sheets,-so thatthe two sheets of fabric are woven fimly and uninterruptedly together inthe regions of the connections. Instead of using the particular type ofweaving portrayed in this figure, other types of weaving can be used solong as they permit the uninterrupted interweaving of the two fabricsheets within limited regions. The selection of weaving equipment andtechniques for carrying out the manufacture of the double fabricsis-well within the skill of those versed in the art of weaving fabrics.

The woven fabrics used in the practice of the invention can be made fromany suitable textile material, e.g. nylon, perlon, rayon, polyester orthe like.

The containers may be formed from several independent and interstackedcontainers. An example of this is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The containershown in those figures again comprises a loop 33formed from a doublefabric consisting of two sheets of fabric woven together in the seamsand connection regions, the external interwoven seam being indicated at34, and two additional loops 35 and 37, independent of one another,surrounded by external loop 33. Each of loops 35 and 37 is likewise madefrom a double fabric consisting of two sheets of fabric woven togetherat least at the longitudinal edges 36 and 38. The ends of the threeloops 33, 35 and 36 are connected respectively to diffusor tubes 31 and32. In the embodiment shown, two such diffusor tubes are arranged at asmall distance from one another. These tubes can be disposed in ashell-like container 39 which also serves as a support. Container 39 isconveniently made of formed sheet plastic or the like. In the embodimentunder discussion, each of the two inner loops 35 and 37 may be in theform of only a single pressurized chamber, whereas the outer loop 33comprises several chambers arranged in parallel and separated by weavingconnection links as in the case of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3. Inthe embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, all connecting seams are formed bydouble weaving in the indicated manner.

The container of FIGS. 5 and 6 can also be formed from a single piece ofdouble fabric positioned in several loops in a manner similar to thatshown, e.g., in FIG. 5, the parts of the loop which contact the diffusortubes 31 and32 being fastened to and connected appropriately todistributor openings in the diffusor tubes.

In the two embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6, the various chambers can also beconnected to different pressure sources. It is also possible to connectthe pressure chambers together by means of' appropriate valves.

The fabric used in the practice of the invention may be unexpandable asWell as elastically expandable. It can be made impermeable to air or gasby means of a suitable impregnation or coating. However, in most casesthe fabric is allowed to retain its natural permeability to gas, as longas it is tight enough to maintain the required pressure in the containerto a sufficient extent during the very brief time span of the inflationprocess and impact. I

FIGS. 7 through 10 show two additional, simplified, embodiments ofsafety devices according to the'invention.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, once'again afabric tube consisting of two sheets of fabric 41 and 42 is provided.This tube is closed along its longitudinal edges at 43 as a result ofthe interweaving of the sheets of fabric as described previously.Instead, a circular woven fabric tube could also be used to form thisportion of the container. One end of this fabric tube is fastened to thediffusor tube 44. The pressure chamber 46 of the container 40 isconnected with the diffusor 44 by way of openings 45. In order torelease the pressure in the container chamber 40, a valve 47 is providedin the wall of the container as shown.

The other end of the fabric tube is closed by a fabric cap 44a which ispermanently bonded to the end of the fabric tube by vulcanization asindicated by 44b. The woven seam 43 is appropriately deflected, as shownby reference numeral43a, at the region of the connection with thediffusor tube 44 and the cap 44a.

Referring now to the embodiment portrayed in FIGS. 9 and 10, afabrictube of the same type as that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, with itsfabric strips 51 and 52 interconnected along the woven edges 53 and 54which are arranged parallel to the axis of the diffusor tube 57, isprovided. Thus fabric strip 52 surrounds the diffusor tube 57 andconnects the pressure chamber 56 of the container with the interior ofthe diffusor tube by way of openings 58. The seams 55, which runperpendicular to the woven seams 53 and 54 of the container 50 arevulcanized together, after the corresponding regions of the fabric havebeen coated with a vulcanizable material of the same type as thatmentioned above. Reference numeral 59 indicates a pressure dischargevalve of the type described above secured to fabric portion 52.

As will be obvious, the various embodiments described herein can becombined with one another. Thus, a container made according to FIGS. 7and 8 or according to FIGS. 9 and 10 may be fitted into a container loopaccording to FIGS. 1 through 3 to form the central chamber. In this waythe caps 4 of the loopshaped part of the container of the embodiment ofFIGS. 1 through 3 can be eliminated.

In this connection, it should also be pointed out that in the case ofcontainers fitted into one another, the chambers located on the outsidedo not serve as strainrelief chambers for the seams of the innerchamber, since they are likewise inflated at full pressure and areprovided in order to fulfill a function independent of the innercontainer.

The loop-like structure of at least one part of the containers madeaccording to FIGS. 1 through 3 and 5 and 6 has the particular advantagethat the open ends of the a tubular fabric can be permanently attachedto the diffusor tube, and at least the chambers formed in this part ofthe container are closed with respect to the outside and with respect toone another by uninterruptedly woven seams alone, thus guaranteeing astrength in the seam area corresponding to the strength of the fabricat-the other points. In this manner, an extremely high degree ofsecurity against damage to the seams and against leakage of thecontainer is obtained. In addition, the uninterruptedly woven seams canbe folded up for storage almost as easilyand compactly as the fabricitself. Furthermore, the uninterruptedly woven seams used in thecontainers of the present invention undergo no aging which is differentfrom that of the fabric itself, so that the safety device retains itscomplete functioning ability even after long periods of storage in theresting state. i

Referring now to FIG. 11, the cockpit of a motor vehicle is generallyrepresented by arrow 60. A compartment 61 on the dash of thecockpitcontains a confinementor bag 62 of the present invention in folded,uninflated condition. In the event of a crash, a sensor 63 of well-knowntype is activated. Sensor 63 is located on the' firewall of the vehiclegenerally in the area indicated by arrow 64. Sensor 63 is connected to avalve 65 through connection 66. When activated, sensor 63 sends a signalor otherwise causes valve 65 to open. A container 67 of fluid and/or gasunder pressure is also situated in the immediate area of the firewalland is connected to valve 65 by means of conduit 68. Container 67 iscaused to release its fluid or gas through open valve 65 and thereby toinflate confinement 62 at the instant of collision. The inflating mediumis transported by conduit 69 into diffusor 2 causing confinement 62 tobe released from compartment 61 and to be inflated. A passenger seatedin cockpit 60 will move into engagement with the expanded confinementand be restrained relative to the vehicle so as to avoid injury. Theconfinement is, in accordance with conventional practice, designed sothat after the introduction of inflating fluid or gas is discontinued,the confinement will deflate by the automatic operation of valves in thewall of the confinement such as valves of the type described above. Inaddition, the confinement may be made at least partially fromgas-permeable fabric so that limited deflation is taking place evenwhile it is expanding, thereby reducing the shock ofimpact betweenpassenger and inflated confinement.

From the foregoing it will be seen that thevpresent invention, as aresult of the construction of the confinement from uninterruptedly wovenfabric, effects significant advantages in the art of passive restraintsystems using confinements. The advantages of the present invention areachieved to the greatest extent when all of the seams of the confinementare made from uniterrruptedly woven fabric. However, it will be seenfrom the foregoing description and the drawings that with certainconfigurations of confinements it is not possible to completely avoidthe use of other types of seams, that is seams which are sewed orbonded. Sewed seams may fail to withstand the blow of inflation andbonded seams may fail due to premature againg. For highest reliabilitytherefore it is desirable that the use of sewed or bonded seams be keptto a minimum.

The fabric containers (so-called air bags) may be secured to thediffusor tubes in 'any well-known manner as by means of adhesive bondingor heat sealing, by rivets or screws, by sewing in cases where thediffusor tubes are made of appropriate material such as nylon to allowsewing, or by any other suitable mechanical fastening means. i

We claim:

l. A confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series oflongitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartmentsin side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from asection of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edgesand along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double wovenfabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric whichlie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatableclosed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed innercompartment encircled by said outer assembly.

2. A confinement having an outer assembly comprising a series oflongitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartmentsin side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from asection of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edgesand along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double wovenfabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric whichlie between the interowven areas form said tubular looped inflatablecompartments, and at least one inflatable closed inner compartment whichis encircled by said outer assembly and is formed by said outer assemblyand by cap portions of woven fabric which are bonded to and which extendover the looped interwoven edges of said double woven fabric, said capportions forming the ends of said inner compartment.

3. A confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series oflongitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartmentsin side-by-side parallel-relationship, said assembly being formed from asection of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edgesand along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double wovenfabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric whichlie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatableclosed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed innercompartment which is encircled by said outer assembly and is formed froma tubular object made of woven fabric which is uninterruptedly wovenover its entire area encircling gas under pressure when inflated.

4. A confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series oflongitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartmentsin side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from asection of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edgesand along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double wovenfabric being looped in such a way that the portions of the said fabricwhich lie between the interwoven areas form said tubular loopedinflatable closed compartments, and two vertically superimposedlongitudinally extending looped compartments encircled by said outerassembly, each of said encircled compartments being formed of a sectionof double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges in such away that it forms a tubular looped compartment.

5. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during acollision, said safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatablefrom a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which saidconfinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative tothe vehicle during a collision, said confinement having an outer loopedassembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular loopedinflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship,said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabricinterwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areasbetween its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a waythat the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areasform said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at leastone inflatable closed inner compartment encircled by said outerassembly, both ends of each of said tubular looped compartments beingconnected to a gas diffusor and said inner compartment or compartmentsalso being connected to a gas diffusor.

6. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during acollision, said safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatablefrom a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which saidconfinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative tothe vehicle during a collision, said continement having an outer loopedassembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular loopedinflatable closed compartments'in side-by-side parallel relationship,said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabricinterwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areasbetween its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a waythat the portions of said'fabric which lie between the interwoven areasform said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at leastone inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by said outerassembly and is formed by said outer assembly and by cap portions ofwoven fabric which are bonded to and which extend over the loopedinterwoven edges of said double woven fabric, said cap portions formingthe ends of said inner compartment, both ends of said tubular loopedcompartments being connected to a gas diffusor and said innercompartment or compartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.

7. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during acollision, said safety apparatus comprosing a confinement inflatablefrom a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which saidconfineedges, said double woven fabric being looped in such v a way thatthe portions of said fabric which lie between ment is adapted torestrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicle during acollision, said confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising aseries of longitudnally extending tubular looped inflatable closedcompartments in side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly beingformed from a section of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinallyat its edges and along spaced parallel areas between its the interwovenareas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and atleast one inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by saidouter assembly and is formed from a tubular object made of woven fabricwhich is uninterruptedly woven over its entire area encircling gas underpressure when inflated, both ends of said tubular looped compartmentbeing connected to a gas diffusor and said inner compartment orcompartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.

8. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during acollision, and safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatable froma collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinementis adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicleduring a collision, said confinement having an outer looped assemblycomprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular loopedinflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship,said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabricinterwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areasbetween its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a waythat the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areasform said tubular looped inflatable compartments, and two inflatableclosed vertically superimposed longitudinally extending loopedcompartments encircled by said outer assembly, each of said encircledcompartments being formed of a section of double woven fabric interwovenlongitudinally at its edges in such a way that it forms a tubular loopedcompartment, both ends of said tubular looped compartments whichconstitute said outer assembly being connected to a gas diffusor andboth ends of said encircled compartments also being connected to a gasdiffusor. l

1. A confinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series oflongitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartmentsin side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from asection of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edgesand along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double wovenfabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric whichlie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatableclosed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed innercompartment encircled by said outer assembly.
 2. A confinement having anouter assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubularlooped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallelrelationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double wovenfabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallelareas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such away that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwovenareas form said tubular looped inflatable compartments, and at least oneinflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by said outerassembly and is formed by said outer assembly and by cap portions ofwoven fabric which are bonded to and which extend over the loopedinterwoven edges of said double woven fabric, said cap portions formingthe ends of said inner compartment.
 3. A confinement having an outerlooped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubularlooped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallelrelationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double wovenfabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallelareas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such away that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwovenareas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and atleast one inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by saidouter assembly and is formed from a tubular object made of woven fabricwhich is uninterruptedly woven over its entire area encircling gas underpressure when inflated.
 4. A confinement having an outer looped assemblycomprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular loopedinflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship,said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabricinterwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areasbetween its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a waythat the portions of the said fabric which lie between the interwovenareas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and twovertically superimposed lOngitudinally extending looped compartmentsencircled by said outer assembly, each of said encircled compartmentsbeing formed of a section of double woven fabric interwovenlongitudinally at its edges in such a way that it forms a tubular loopedcompartment.
 5. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of avehicle during a collision, said safety apparatus comprising aconfinement inflatable from a collapsed condition to an expandedcondition in which said confinement is adapted to restrain movement ofthe occupant relative to the vehicle during a collision, saidconfinement having an outer looped assembly comprising a series oflongitudinally extending tubular looped inflatable closed compartmentsin side-by-side parallel relationship, said assembly being formed from asection of double woven fabric interwoven longitudinally at its edgesand along spaced parallel areas between its edges, said double wovenfabric being looped in such a way that the portions of said fabric whichlie between the interwoven areas form said tubular looped inflatableclosed compartments, and at least one inflatable closed innercompartment encircled by said outer assembly, both ends of each of saidtubular looped compartments being connected to a gas diffusor and saidinner compartment or compartments also being connected to a gasdiffusor.
 6. A safety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicleduring a collision, said safety apparatus comprising a confinementinflatable from a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in whichsaid confinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupantrelative to the vehicle during a collision, said confinement having anouter looped assembly comprising a series of longitudinally extendingtubular looped inflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallelrelationship, said assembly being formed from a section of double wovenfabric interwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallelareas between its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such away that the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwovenareas form said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and atleast one inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by saidouter assembly and is formed by said outer assembly and by cap portionsof woven fabric which are bonded to and which extend over the loopedinterwoven edges of said double woven fabric, said cap portions formingthe ends of said inner compartment, both ends of said tubular loopedcompartments being connected to a gas diffusor and said innercompartment or compartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.
 7. Asafety apparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during acollision, said safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatablefrom a collapsed condition to an expanded condition in which saidconfinement is adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative tothe vehicle during a collision, said confinement having an outer loopedassembly comprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular loopedinflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship,said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabricinterwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areasbetween its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a waythat the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areasform said tubular looped inflatable closed compartments, and at leastone inflatable closed inner compartment which is encircled by said outerassembly and is formed from a tubular object made of woven fabric whichis uninterruptedly woven over its entire area encircling gas underpressure when inflated, both ends of said tubular looped compartmentsbeing connected to a gas diffusor and said inner compartment orcompartments also being connected to a gas diffusor.
 8. A safetyapparatus for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during a collision,and safety apparatus comprising a confinement inflatable from acollapsed condition to an expanded condition in which said confinementis adapted to restrain movement of the occupant relative to the vehicleduring a collision, said confinement having an outer looped assemblycomprising a series of longitudinally extending tubular loopedinflatable closed compartments in side-by-side parallel relationship,said assembly being formed from a section of double woven fabricinterwoven longitudinally at its edges and along spaced parallel areasbetween its edges, said double woven fabric being looped in such a waythat the portions of said fabric which lie between the interwoven areasform said tubular looped inflatable compartments, and two inflatableclosed vertically superimposed longitudinally extending loopedcompartments encircled by said outer assembly, each of said encircledcompartments being formed of a section of double woven fabric interwovenlongitudinally at its edges in such a way that it forms a tubular loopedcompartment, both ends of said tubular looped compartments whichconstitute said outer assembly being connected to a gas diffusor andboth ends of said encircled compartments also being connected to a gasdiffusor.